Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to motorcycles particularly to motorcycle stands. The invention discloses a motorcycle parking stand that engages the front wheel of a motorcycle by simply rolling or riding the motorcycle into the stand. The stand automatically supports the motorcycle securely in an upright position by engaging the front wheel or rear wheel.
The concept of a parking stand to hold a motorcycle upright by the front wheel is not a new one. A stand of this type is described in this applicant""s issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,402. Others include U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,410 of Kallstrom; U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,817 of Merritt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,597 of Doyle, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,517 of Brajkovich. Perhaps the prior art closest to the present invention is described in International Application Number PCT/GB96/01276. The stand there described has two angular, wedge shaped shoes that provide support at 4 points inside each shoe. The limitation of this stand are apparent from the fact the support points of each shoe are concentrated together and the two shoes generally hold the wheel in two locations that are oriented at points generally opposite one another on the wheel; this effectively holds the wheel in only two locations allowing instability. Another limitation of this stand is that when a wheel sits in the wedge shaped shoes for a long period of time, the wheel can become stuck and extraction made rather difficult. The present invention addresses the stability and xe2x80x9csticktionxe2x80x9d issues of the prior art.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a stand that will hold a motorcycle in a vertical position while requiring only that the motorcycle be driven or pushed into the stand for engagement.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a stand of simple design that provides good stability and reduces the sticking problems encountered in some of the prior art.
These and other objects and advantages of the stand are accomplished in a novel combination of components including a first and second shoe connected pivotally to the stand structure. A third shoe is attached to the stand structure at a point forward and above the first and second shoes. As the motorcycle is rolled into the stand, engagement of the wheel with the first and second shoes initiates forward rotational motion of said first and second shoes and as the axle of the wheel passes over the pivot point of the said first and second shoes, gravity holds the wheel in contact with the third shoe. The shoes are oriented to provide maximum stability by engaging the wheel in three distinct, well-spaced locations around the diameter of the wheel.
A variation of the stand structure described above provides for the first and second shoes to engage the wheel with a clamping action. This action is accomplished by providing each of the first and second shoes to be split in half and the right side halves of the shoes connected together in an assembly with a common pivot axis and the left halves also connected together in an assembly with a common axis of rotation. The respective axes of each of the shoe assemblies are oriented at some angle not exactly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stand. The shoe structures are designed such that the two halves are interconnected to provide concomitant motion and still allow for the clamping effect. Forward rotation causes the two halves of each shoe to move generally inward together and clamp the wheel. This motion also enables the shoes to xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d on removal and the wheel to disengage freely from the stand.